ST. LOUIS – Florida is the definition of a powerhouse, reigning NCAA champion in both football and basketball. Butler is the definition of a Cinderella, a so-called mid-major that has taken down every basketball blue-blood it has faced.

The top-seeded Gators (31-5) have sons of pros who soon will be pros themselves. The Bulldogs are kids from a small school and even smaller towns, who grew up shooting on driveway nets with nothing but open fields behind them.

With such a contrast, socially and athletically, it’s no wonder tonight’s 7:10 Midwest Region semifinal is among the Sweet 16’s most intriguing, even if neither the Bulldogs nor the Gators are buying Butler as underdog or mid-major.

“I understand the perception, but the perception is not reality,” Gators coach Billy Donovan said. “They’d be one of the best teams in the SEC.”

With a 14-game postseason winning streak, Donovan’s biggest task has been keeping the Gators hungry. He insists they won’t look past Butler.

The Bulldogs (29-6) recognize their fifth seed; they just don’t care. Tonight’s is the kind of challenge they thrive on after beating Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee, Purdue, and Maryland this season.

“That’s fine. They didn’t say we’d win [vs. Maryland] either. It’s exciting. Who wouldn’t want to play the No. 1 team? That just adds to it all,” said junior guard A.J. Graves, who averages 17.1 ppg manning the backcourt with fellow junior Mike Green (13.9 ppg), and is the epitome of what Butler is.

Graves grew up in Switz City, Ind., a town with 311 people, one traffic light, a school (graduating class 41) and nothing else, not even a grocer. Graves said there wasn’t much to do other than shoot hoops. He has become as clutch a shooter as there is in this Big Dance, one Butler will have to ride tonight.